Tag Archives: YA fiction

A wonderful read. Bella James has created a very realistic protagonist in Anna – she’s a complicated and yet sympathetic character. She faces huge challenges and has a few personal issues to deal with. Great use of dialogue to create tension and depth of character. The novel contains a few surprises and goes in directions you might not expect – and that’s a good thing. The themes are handled sensitively and overall the novel is uplifting. ‘The Girl Who Cried Wolf’ examines what it means to be alive, and as one character says: “The road is more difficult for some, but that does not make it less extraordinary or beautiful or worthwhile’.

As Luke continues to develop his skills as Felis, he finds himself hunting, surviving and using feline instincts, as well as fine-tuning his powers over nature, becoming more powerful than he’d ever dreamed.

However, Luke’s parents find him tearing away and struggle to understand how their son is changing so much – not realising the true extent of it. When a new transformation forces him to leave, he flies across the world and learns how to survive, meeting others who share his powers which opens up a new world to Luke, one he must learn to co-exist alongside.

Like this:

I’m delighted to introduce YA author Sofi Croft to my blog. She is here to tell us about the Dragon of Krakow, which inspired her new novel, ‘Indigo’s Dragon’.Her post below also includes an intriguing extract. There are purchase links at the end of the post. Don’t miss out on this brand new Accent YA adventure. Over to you, Sofi…

The Dragon of Krakow is a famous dragon from Polish folklore. He lived in a cave in Wawel Hill, on the banks of the River Vistula, and spent most of his time terrorising the population of Krakow. The cave, located underneath Wawel Castle and Cathedral, is now free of the dragon and has become a popular tourist destination. A metal dragon can be found outside the cave, breathing fire every few minutes.

Stories about the Dragon of Krakow have been told since at least the 12th century, and as with most stories of that age that are many different versions. All of the ones I have found end with the dragon being destroyed; sometimes slain by a prince, but more often poisoned by a tailor or shoemaker using a sheep stuffed with sulphur.

The Dragon of Krakow was one of the inspirations for Indigo’s Dragon. I took the story and thought what if …?I expanded it, weaved in other threads, and twisted it into another tale.

Like living things stories often grow, evolve and reproduce, and I hope by borrowing and changing the story of the Dragon of Krakow I have not done it an injustice, but helped to keep it alive.

Here is a short extract from Indigo’s Dragon, which features the indestructible story of the Dragon of Krakow:

Rue sat and pushed her fingers into the sand. ‘He grew up in Krakow, when the city was young. It was beautiful. Cobblestone streets, wooden buildings, roofs painted gold and blue, willows drooping into the clear blue waters of the River Vistula, and a stone castle on a green hill overlooking it all. The people were peaceful and happy.’ She turned to Indigo and her eyes darkened with anger. ‘That was before Smok came.’

‘The dragon?’ Indigo sat next to her, and she continued.

‘Krakow never recovered from the damage he did. Dragons can be so destructive.’ Rue shook her head. ‘Over time the smoke cleared, the ash washed away, houses were rebuilt, crops grew back, livestock recovered, and trade returned. But it wasn’t the same. Every family had lost a loved one, either killed by Smok, or by the starvation he caused. The people changed from peaceful to warlike. They built armies and weapons. They were scared, suspicious, and selfish, thinking only of self-preservation. Orava was a tailor. He made beautiful clothes for the king and the princess. Smok turned him into a killer.’

‘Orava killed Smok?’ Indigo felt a pang of grief. He had thought Smok was alive – Omi kept pointing to the sky and saying his name, as if she were waiting for him.

Rue nodded. ‘Orava filled a sheepskin with explosives, sewed it up, and planted it near Smok’s cave.’

‘Boom,’ Indigo whispered, remembering the picture on the side of Opi’s book.

‘Orava never forgave Smok for making him do that, or for what he did to the town. He’s still angry about it, and the anger eats away at him.’ Rue looked at Wojtek, who was now swimming towards them. ‘So you see he has good reason to hate him. To hate all dragons.’

‘Indigo’s Dragon’ (Indigo’s Dragon #1) by Sofi Croft is a children’s fantasy novel full of adventure, mystery, monsters and dragons.

Like this:

On Tuesday 12th April 2016, Accent Press launched their YA novels at The London Book Fair – including my own YA fantasy, PICA.

The London Book Fair – held at Olympia – is an incredibly overwhelming experience. I wandered around for two hours and didn’t see it all. But I was lucky enough to hear author Peter James talk about research and plotting over at Author HQ.

Accent Press had their own stall showing their fantastic array of titles with beautiful covers.

At 4pm, AccentYA was officially launched with an annoncement, plus drinks and nibbles. It was a great opportunity to meet the Accent team, fellow authors, plus sellers and others in the book trade.

Some were lucky enough to take away a bag of goodies.

We were all well looked after by the incredibly friendly Accent Team, and treated to a delicious meal in Notting Hill. It was an exciting and fascinating day.

Like ‘The Revenant’ my novel, PICA, explores our relationship with the natural world. Luke is challenged to find a way to save our dying planet, and with the help of his enigmatic friend, Guy, he begins to uncover some of the secrets and ancient magic of nature.

Pollution, deforestation, garbage, over-population and our obsession with consumerism are some of the ways we are killing mother earth. Doing the recycling and not using plastic bags is great, but how can we stop the horror on a global scale?

PICA is a novel set in the modern day, that explores ancient magic and our relationship with the natural world.

“One of the most charming fantasy novels I’ve read in years. Real characters you will come to love and hate and a story you can’t stop reading. An engrossing and original story, beautifully told. Wonderful!” Michael Moorcock

“It’s one of those ‘one of a kind, never read that before’ books … it’s a great read and will change your perceptions of the world and make you think twice about what humanity really is.” Confessions of a Book Lover

Luke hates nature, preferring the excitement of computer games to dull walks in the countryside, but his view of the world around him drastically begins to change when enigmatic loner, Guy, shows him some of the secrets that the very planet itself appears to be hiding from modern society.

Hidden behind the everyday screen of school and family life, Luke tumbles into a fascinating world of magic and fantasy, where transformations and shifting identities become second nature.